Car fires damage 12 vehicles at Miami International Airport garage
MIAMI - A fire broke out in the Flamingo Garage at Miami International Airport Wednesday morning, damaging or destroying 12 vehicles and temporarily disrupting airport operations.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to reports of smoke pouring out of the garage around 11:30 a.m.
Four vehicles were engulfed in flames on the ramp between the first and second floors of the parking structure.
"They found four vehicles on fire and they were able to quickly extinguish those," said Acting Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Rogelio Vandamas. "Unfortunately, because of the radiant heat, an additional eight vehicles were damaged in the surrounding area."
Passengers in the garage described chaos and heavy smoke as alarms blared. Mariela Bello, who was inside during the fire, said she tried to reach her car but encountered thick smoke and darkness.
"When I arrived at the third floor in the Flamingo area, the alarm beeping started," Bello said. "When I went to the second floor, the smoke was coming out. I couldn't see anything, completely dark, no exit lights, no parking space lights, nothing."
Bello, like others, was unable to access her vehicle until about two hours later, once firefighters extinguished the flames and cleared much of the smoke.
The fire briefly closed the Flamingo Garage to incoming vehicles and temporarily halted the people mover train between the car rental center and the terminals. Vandamas said engineers are on-site to assess the damage and a section of the garage will remain closed until their evaluation is complete.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Dolphin Garage had reopened to vehicles, while the Flamingo Garage remained partially closed. Passengers with cars in Flamingo were allowed to walk in to retrieve their vehicles unless they were near the impacted area.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
